Playing Educational Games with Your Children

Remember to have fun with your child and that games are about the process just as much as the outcome. Here are some educational games that you can star playing with your child right now!

Puzzle Games
Get a few high quality, durable puzzles, preferably one's with letters, numbers or shapes rather than just a cartoon. Sit down with your child and show them how to put it together. When it's done, look at the picture and talk to them about it.

Hide and Seek
Try this twist on an old favorite. Hide your child's favorite toy and as they look for it, give them directions, just as you would give an adult. Such educational games are a great way to learn prepositions and directions.

Computer Games
Thanks to technology, there are an abundance of educational games aimed children. Find a few appropriate educational games and let your child try them out. Always use common sense and limit their playing time to a short ten minute session.

Hopscotch
Teach numbers and coordination with educational games like this one. Let your child help you draw the squares and numbers, then demonstrate how to play.

Nature Walk
Learn in the most natural of environments about the great outdoors! Make a routine walk into an educational game by preparing a list of several things (such as trees, flowers and birds) that you expect to see. If possible, print out a page with pictures of these items. Include items that are seldom seen so that your child has a bit of a challenge and doesn't get bored.

Grocery Shopping
Make shopping an educational game by letting your child hold onto the coupons and help you to match them with the products as you find them. You can also introduce money and how much is used to buy certain items. For example, you can say that you have enough money to buy either one watermelon or ten apples.